What do you know about the microscope? If you answered that it’s a tool that allows us to observe things far too small for the naked eye, then you are correct. However, the microscope has made many significant contributions to the betterment of humankind aside from allowing us to merely observe the world of the infinitesimal. Besides being an essential tool in elementary school science classes, the microscope has also made the world a safer place to live in. Here are some of the biggest ways this humble laboratory staple has done so.
Microscopes helped us discover the presence of disease-causing germs
Deadly diseases make up some of the world’s most dangerous threats to our lives, with millions dying because of them every day, all over the world. Before the invention of the microscope, we all thought that they were caused by either bad luck, evil spirits, or curses from divine beings and deities.
Now, thanks to the high levels of optical magnification that microscopes make possible, we discovered that they’re mainly caused by pathogens like bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoans—living organisms that can infect our bodies as well as inhabit the places we live in.Such discoveries have reduced diseases from being supernatural curses from the gods to something that can be treated and remedied by medical means. Just by this fact alone, we can already say that the microscope has already saved millions of lives.
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Microscopes allow us to check up on our health and the health of others
Despite the fact that microscopes helped us study the sources and causes of many potentially fatal medical conditions and diseases in the past, that doesn’t mean that their usefulness has stopped there. Microscopes are still being used to help doctors and laboratory personnel figure out what specific conditions, diseases, or illnesses are affecting patients today. This is done through the microscopic examination of blood, urine, and tissue samples from patients, helping medical personnel identify what kind of pathogens are causing the diseases. Furthermore, microscopes help detect the presence of non-communicable but still possible deadly conditions in the same manner. These conditions include certain cancers, sickle cell anemia, and so on.
Also, thanks to the integration of precision motion components such as XY stages into modern microscopes, diagnostic processes can be done faster and more precisely, leading to more accurate and efficient turnaround of laboratory results. This is because such precision motion components let the user to move the optical components of the microscope more precisely, allowing for better focusing on the specimens being observed.
Microscopes help us create life-saving medicine and treatments
Besides helping us observe and study pathogenic organisms and link them to the dangerous diseases that they cause, microscopes also allow us to get the information we need in order to create new life-saving medicines. This is through helping us observe these microscopic threats and seeing what kinds of substances they react to, and which among those substances can kill them off effectively.
By the same token, microscopes also allow us to check whether or not a newly created medicine or treatment is harmful to the human body, through the examination of tissue and bodily fluid specimens.
Microscopes allow us to find microscopic faults in building materials
Another way that microscopes make the world safer for us to live in is by helping us find faults and flaws in the materials we use to build vehicles and infrastructure. For example, a microscope can help detect if a particular load-bearing beam underneath a bridge is slowly developing microscopic cracks, allowing engineers to intervene quickly with a replacement or repairs before it suffers a disastrous break. In another example, a microscope can help chemists to verify if a particular blend of concrete has a strong enough molecular bond to withstand significant amounts of weight and pressure, thus confirming if it can be used for the construction of buildings.
Microscopes allow us to find dangerous criminals and individuals
If you thought that the microscope is only made for use in medicine or life science, think again. Microscopes are also quite useful in the investigation of the activities of criminals and other dangerous individuals. By allowing forensic scientists to examine microscopic clues and specimens left in the crime scene such as blood stains, tissue samples, fingerprints, and others, the microscope can help authorities determine the identities of criminals and apprehend them immediately. This removes those individuals from a law-abiding society, thus making that society—and the world in general—a much safer place to live in.
The microscope may be generally uncomplicated as far as scientific and research tools go, but make no mistake, the contributions this magnifying invention has made to the advancement of the sciences and of our industries are immense. Without these key contributions, the world would be a lot less safe and definitely a more dangerous place to live in.
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